[Rare, bilateral posterior shoulder dislocation. A case report]

Posterior shoulder dislocation is a very rare injury, accounting for only 1-2% of all shoulder dislocations. It is very often misdiagnosed because its clinical symptoms are not characteristic and the X-ray pictures are often misinterpreted. In many cases this means delayed treatment and impaired shoulder function. The most common cause of posterior shoulder dislocation is an epileptic seizure. In approximately 50% of all cases a ventral impression fracture of the humeral head is diagnosed. This is known as the "reverse Hill-Sachs lesion". About 10% of all posterior shoulder dislocations are associated with fracture of the lesser tuberosity of the humerus. In this paper a case of bilateral posterior shoulder dislocation with bilateral fracture of the lesser tuberosity of the humerus is described. The luxations were caused by an epileptic seizure following chronic alcohol abuse. Following early commencement of an exercise programme excellent results were obtained, and no redislocations occurred.